Secrets
by Ms Musician
Summary: Two year ago, a tragic accident separated Ned from the woman he loves after she mysteriously disappeared; since then,he has never quite been the same. Now, two years later, a new secretary comes for a new job, forever changing his life once again.
1. Chapter 1

Ned Nickerson walked into his office early that morning. It was unusual for him to arrive before anyone else did. There were usually a few people who came earlier than he did. But today, he didn't have a choice.

They were expecting a new staff member. A new secretary. And it was up to him to show her around and to explain everything. She would be here early, too, in order to be prepared for when the office actually opened.

Ned took a seat behind his desk and turned on his computer. As he waited for it to boot up, he rubbed his eyes tiredly. He let his mind wonder to other things instead of lingering on the thoughts of sleep.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. "Come in," he said.

The door opened and then a girl was standing in front of him.

She was dressed up for her first day. Her high heeled shoes made her even taller than she already was. Her bright blue eyes stood out against her dark hair and pale skin. She put on a bright smile.

He stood up and walked around his desk to shake her hand. "You must be the new secretary," he said.

She nodded. "Anna Larson," she said.

"Ned Nickerson. I'll show you around."

She followed him as he walked through every cubicle, informing her of everyone's different work space, the boss's office, and anything else that there was to know about the place. When they made it back to his office, he explained what she would be doing.

"You'll be in charge of setting up any necessary meetings that there might be. To do that, you'll usually send out an email to everyone alerting them of it. You'll answer the telephone and take messages if necessary. The extensions for everyone in the building are hanging up so you can transfer calls to pretty much anyone. "

He paused for a moment. "If you have any questions, you can come ask me. But I'm sure you'll do fine."

She nodded. "Thanks," she said.

He nodded a goodbye and then disappeared into his office.

--

The day went by surprisingly fast. At the end of the day, Anna came back in. "Is there anything else that you need?" she asked him.

Ned shook his head. "You can go home if you want," he said. "I'm just finishing up here."

Anna nodded, but she still stood there a moment. Her eyes were gazing at the photograph on his desk. The only one sitting there. His eyes followed hers, and then he looked at her again. "That is—_was_—my wife," he said, answering her unasked question.

"Was?" she asked. Then she immediately said, "I'm sorry, I don't want to be nosy…"

"It's fine," he said. "You'd most likely find out anyway from someone who works here." He was looking at her picture as he spoke. But it wasn't the picture that he was seeing. It was something else. Something unseen.

"About two years ago, there was a bad accident. Nancy and I had gone out with some friends that night, and we stayed out late. It was rainy and cold that night, and the roads were slick. We were going to a party when we hit a spot with no traction. I lost control of the car and it broke through the guardrail, falling nearly forty feet into the water."

Ned shook his head before continuing. "They found the wreck about an hour after it happened since no one was out that late at night. I had been knocked unconscious and I'm not exactly sure how I managed to stay alive for so long. But they never did find Nancy. We're sure that she had to have been thrown from the car. They knew that by then, there was no chance of finding her at all."

"I'm so sorry," Anna said softly.

Ned smiled a little. "I guess I just haven't given up on her. Not yet. I know that she's got to be out there somewhere."

Anna gave him a shaky smile. They were quiet a moment. Finally, she said, "I'd better go."

Ned nodded. "See you tomorrow." He smiled at her, but his mind was elsewhere. She left the room quickly.

--

"I can't do this," Anna said.

"Yes, you can."

"No, I can't. You told me that he was _dead_. You _told_ me he didn't make it. You _told _me—"

"I know what I told you," her boss said. "I'm sorry I lied to you. But it's for your own good."

"My own good?" she asked. "And how is that?" Her anger and frustration rose with every word.

"I'm not getting into this," her boss said. "You're going to do this case. If you refuse, it'll be easy to replace you. It's as simple as that. As a single mother I highly doubt you'd want that to happen."

Anna was quiet at that.

"That's what I thought. Now get some rest. We've got a long day tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

When Ned arrived at work the next morning, he found Anna already there. She was already sitting behind her desk, ready to work, despite the fact that she was about half an hour early.

For a moment, Ned found himself watching her as she worked. She was very intent on her work, and worked very diligently, not letting anything distract her. It was then that Ned realized something.

She seemed very familiar. He was sure that he had met her before, but he wasn't sure where.

The telephone rang, then, bringing him back and out of his trance. As she picked up the phone, Ned went into his office quietly, leaving her to her work.

--

When Ned left the office late that night, he found Anna still there. He stopped at her desk before leaving.

"It's really late," he said. "Aren't you going home soon?"

She shook her head. "I've still got things to do," she said. "I've got to get it done. I can't afford to get behind."

Ned nodded. His eyes fell on a picture that was lying on her desk. It was a picture of a baby girl, who looked to be less than two years old. "Is that your daughter?" he asked her.

She nodded. "She's almost two," she said softly. "She's the reason I can't afford to get behind on my work. If I were to lose my job…I'm not sure what I'd do."

"Well, if you ever need anything at all, you can always come to me," Ned offered.

She smiled. "Thanks for the offer," she said. "I might take that up some day."

Ned glanced at his wristwatch. "I'd better get going," he said. "See you tomorrow."

"Alright," she said. As he turned to leave, she watched him almost longingly. She watched him until he was out of sight. Then, finally, reluctantly, she returned to her work.

A manila folder lay next to the picture of her daughter. It was unopened. She knew that she shouldn't read it when others were around, and so she had waited. She opened the seal and pulled out two sheets of paper. Two letters, both typed. She read them.

They were letters to the company boss.

_Mr. Mann—_

_I've been watching you, sir. I've been watching you closely. I must say you're doing a fine job with your business. Quite an accomplishment for someone such as yourself. Now the question is, what are you willing to do to keep your business going? _

_Your secret is safe with me…for now. With a small fee, your company will be debt free. Prepare five thousand dollars cash by Friday, or else._

_Mr. Mann—_

_You've impressed me even more. In a good way, this time. I'm writing to say thank you for the money. It's very much appreciated. You will soon receive another letter. Depending on my mood, the fee may be smaller. We'll wait and see. And one more thing. I'm sure you've already realized this, but I thought I might mention it again._

_No police—or your business will be ended for good._

The blackmailer had only sent two letters now. But there were more to be expected. How long would he send them? How much money would he be able to get away with? No one could know for sure at this point. But without the police involved, it was had to predict how long the blackmailing would go on. If the police were contacted, the insurance company would go out of business for sure.

The only other thing that was certain was that they needed to catch the blackmailer, and fast.

--

Ned arrived home around midnight that night. As soon as he got home, he got ready for bed, completely skipping dinner. He usually always skipped dinner and usually even skipped lunch unless someone somehow managed to talk him into eating. But eating dinner was just something so very simple that brought back memories. Memories that would be followed by the painful thought of never seeing his wife again.

For two years now, he had tried and tried to believe that she was still alive. That maybe she had survived, and she was somewhere out there, just waiting to be found. But finally, after two years, he was finally almost—just almost—convinced that she wasn't coming back after all.

And then there was Anna. There was something about her…something so familiar…he just couldn't figure out what.

In the past two years, he hadn't even thought of any woman as anything other than a friend. But it seemed like there was more between him and Anna. It was as if they were both feeling the same thing somehow, as if she, too, had lost someone she loved. Or maybe he was so desperate to find someone he could relate to that he was imaging it.

Ned shook his head. It would get figured out—eventually. It might take time, but he knew that sometime, it would all get figured out.

--

"Were you able to talk to anyone today?"

"Mr. Miller, I told you I've only been working here a few days. I can only do so much, especially with my daughter—" Anna began.

"That's no excuse for you," her boss replied. "You're experienced enough to do more than one task. Now you've just got to use your skills to solve this case."

"I can't believe you make it sound so easy," Anna said. "First, you lie to me, then when I find out you lied to me for two years, you act like everything will turn out fine and our lives can be normal again, when in reality, you completely screwed my entire life up."

Her boss stood up. "You're about one word away from losing your job," he said.

"You wouldn't," she said. "Because you know that I'm the best one on our staff, and you know that if you lose me, your company is down the drain like _that._ You know you can't deny that."

Mr. Miller sighed. "What exactly do you want from me?" he asked her.

"I want a different assignment," she replied. "I can't stay on this case without blowing my cover. Not after everything that's happened. Not when I see him in so much pain. I can't work with that. I've got to tell him."

Her boss sighed. "Two years ago, you had a different life—" he began.

"I had a _better_ life," she said. "Do you have any idea how much my life changed two years ago?"

"Yes, I do," he replied. "But as I said—"

"It's for my own good, I know," Anna said. She shook her head. "Just please, change my assignment."

"You've only been there three days now. If you quit unexpectedly, people will get suspicious. Just wait. Try your best. I know it'll be painful, but you've got to do it."

She sighed. She wanted to protest, but she had no other choice. At this point, it was either take the assignment or lose your job. And with her daughter, she knew that she couldn't afford to lose her job. Not now.

Instead of protesting and instead of arguing, she simply said, "I'll talk to you later." And with that, she stormed out of the room.

--

She picked her daughter, Katherine, up from the babysitter and then headed home. Once she got home, she took her daughter out of the car and into the apartment, where Anna rocked her until she fell asleep in her arms.

As she rocked Katherine, cradling her gently in her arms, she let her mind wonder.

She wondered what it would have been like if two years ago hadn't happened. She wondered what it would be like if Katherine actually had a father that was there for her. And she wondered what life would have been like with the love of her life still in her life completely.

There was no way to tell. Not now. Not after all of the lies and all of the rumors that have been spreading over the past two years. No, she would never get the chance to find out what it would be like.

Anna fell asleep in the rocker, her daughter still in her arms. That night, she dreamt the same dream she had every single night.

The dream of the wonderful life she once had, and the future she once had in front of her.


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Anna arrived at work, she was called into Mr. Mann's office. When informed of this, she had just sighed, already used to the early morning call-ins. She found her boss's office and knocked on the door. "Come in," his gruff voice replied. She opened the door and walked in.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked.

Mr. Mann nodded. "Close the door and have a seat," he said.

She knew that tone of voice, and she knew that look. Something big must have happened. She quickly did as she was told. "What's up?" she asked.

"I've received another blackmail letter," he replied. "But this time, they're asking for more money." He handed her a sheet of paper. It looked almost exactly like the other.

_Mr. Mann—_

_You're late. Very late. I'm disappointed in you, good sir. I'm surprised that someone in your situation would be late on a payment such as this. But no matter. There's at least one way to solve the problem possibly._

_The price has been raised. Doubled, in fact. Pay ten thousand dollars by Friday, or you know what will happen. You know the place, you know the time. Be there—or else._

"When did you get it?" she asked.

"I found it here on my desk when I got here," he replied.

"It was already sitting on your desk?" she asked, surprised.

Her boss nodded. "It was in this envelope," he said as he handed it to her, too. He shook his head. "I can't take much more of this," he said. "You know how much my company can suffer from something like this."

"I know," she replied. "And I'm working on it. But—" she broke off.

"I know you've been a bit…uncomfortable around your mentor," Mr. Mann said. "Maybe if I just set you up with someone else to help you out—"

"That's not the problem," she said. "I mean, it _is,_ but that's not going to help. I think you need to find someone else to go undercover. It's just not working."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "One minute," Mr. Mann called. He then looked back at Anna. "Just do your job," he said. "And do it right. I'm depending on you." He then stood up and walked toward the door.

She knew the conversation was over. She left without another word.

--

Throughout the day, Anna managed to talk to several people. Unfortunately, it did nothing but give her more suspects. Suspects with good motive. The only person she knew for sure was off of the suspect list was her mentor. The one person other than her daughter that she thought about continuously.

Ned Nickerson.

But that unfortunately still left twenty others who worked in the insurance office. Of the twenty, she had talked to seventeen of them. Of the seventeen, she had managed to eliminate four suspects. It was a start, but she had a long ways to go.

She was back at her desk now, once again doing her job as a secretary while at the same time doing research secretly. A few times, she hid her work as Ned occasionally stopped by to make sure she was doing all right. But there was once when a young man that she had never met stopped by.

He was tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was muscular and quite cute, she thought. He gave her a charming smile as he spoke to her.

"Hi. I know that you've been here a few days already, but I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you," he said. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Thomas Straus."

"Anna Larson," she said with a smile of her own.

"Nice to meet you," he said. As he continued to smile at her, she noticed that he seemed to hold her hand a little longer than necessary. But she dismissed it as nothing.

"I've heard a lot about you already," he said.

"Really?" she asked. "Like what?"

"Like…you're a single mother needing some money to raise her daughter. And on top of working here, you've got another job…possibly as a detective?"

Anna knew immediately that her face had gone white. "What—what makes you say that?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Just a little rumor going around," he said. "So tell me. What's it like being undercover all the time? It must be fun."

"I never said I was a detective," she said, but her voice betrayed the fear she had in her voice. If one person found out…then others did, too. But how?

"Alright," he said slowly. "So you're supposedly not. But anyway. I was wondering—"

"Straus! What are you doing socializing?"

Anna recognized her boss's voice immediately. Thomas turned around quickly.

"Um, nothing, sir. I was—uh—just going," Thomas replied. As he spoke, he backed away, heading for his desk again. He glanced at Anna one more time. "I'll talk to you later," he said. And with that he was gone.

Mr. Mann turned back to Anna. "Well, back to work," he said shortly. "I'm sure you don't want to lose your job so soon." The telephone rang and she answered it. By the time she had hung up, her boss was gone.

--

She got off work late that night. Immediately after she left, she went to Mr. Miller's office. He was about twenty minutes away from her apartment, and about thirty minutes away from where she had dropped her daughter off at. But she knew that she needed to check in with him before she did anything else.

"Well, what have you learned so far?" he asked her.

"I have sixteen suspects left," she said. "I've managed to talk to a few people and eliminate four of the suspects just by common sense. But there are still several people out there who have strong reason to be the blackmailer."

"And of course there's the possibility that there is more than one person," Mr. Miller said. He sat back in his chair.

"Yes," she sighed. "There is. Now it's a matter of narrowing it down. Once we narrow it down, we can concentrate on just a certain amount of people."

"You're doing pretty good so far," Mr. Miller said. "Just keep it up. If you need any help, I can get you back up."

Anna shook her head. "That won't be necessary," she said.

"Good." Her boss sighed and stood up. "Well, I think our work is done here."

Anna nodded. She picked up her coat. "Talk to you tomorrow," she said, and her boss nodded curtly. Anna then left to pick up her daughter.

--

She arrived back at the apartment late that night. Even the gate to the entrance of the apartment buildings was already locked. Fortunately keys had been given to the people that lived in the apartments when they first moved in just for the purpose of the gate being locked. She got in easily. She then climbed the four flights of stairs to her apartment, where she laid her sleeping daughter in her crib before collapsing on the couch.

She fell asleep that night right there, too tired to even think about moving to her own bed. That night, she had a dream. She had expected to have the same dream as always. But this time, it was different.

--

_She was standing on a bridge, staring into the river below. The guardrail had been broken due to an earlier accident. She stared at the water where her car once was. _

_She then noticed someone else. Someone on the other side of the bridge. _

_Ned…_

_He, too, was staring out at the raging river below, his gaze going even past where the car had landed forty feet below. _

_Someone else was with him. His father. His father was with him. He had his hand resting gently on Ned's shoulder. _

"_She's out there somewhere," Ned said softly. "I know she is." _

"_She'll be dead by now," Mr. Nickerson said. "It's been an entire month."_

_Ned shook his head and she heard him speak. He still spoke softly. _

"_I haven't given up on her. Not yet. She's out there somewhere, and until they find her body, I'm not giving up hope."_

_At that moment, she ran toward Ned. Ned turned toward her and reached his hand out to her. But just moments before their hands could touch, Ned disappeared, and he was out of her life once again._


	4. Chapter 4

The next night was the company's Christmas party. Ned had invited her to go to it. At first, he had asked her to go with him. Then, feeling awkward, he had said that she could meet him there.

She had agreed to go with him.

He picked her up at seven that evening. She was told that it was formal, and had dressed up, careful not to be _too_ dressed up but to also fit in with the others. And going off of the look Ned had given her, she knew that she had chosen the right outfit.

In the car, they talked as he tried to learn more about her. Little did he know that he already knew everything about her. Later on, when they were in the middle of eating dinner, he finally voiced his thoughts.

"It seems like I know you from somewhere," he had said.

She forced herself to reveal nothing at all. "Really?" she asked.

"I'm not sure where, though," Ned said.

"Maybe—maybe it's just a resemblance," she said, not meeting his eyes.

"Maybe," Ned replied, and she was relieved when the topic was dropped.

The two of them stayed together the entire time, mostly talking to each other but occasionally talking to others. And Anna _did_ have fun. But after a while, the longer she stayed with Ned, the more her mind seemed to wonder toward the dream that she had the night before, and she wasn't completely sure why.

She had seen what happened to Ned after the accident in her dream. Or at least, so it seemed. But she had never gotten to see Ned until now. The last thing that she remembered was hearing the guardrail break as the car began to fall. And it had been the last time that she had ever seen him.

Until now.

Now she was with him again, and he wasn't even aware of it. But there was one thing that she knew for sure. He was going to catch on. Sooner or later, he was going to catch on. She only wished that it would be soon. He was already trying to figure out where he knew her from. It was one step closer to realizing everything.

As he took her home later that night, he walked her to her door. They paused at her doorstep.

"I had a great time tonight," she said. "Thank you."

"I did, too," he replied. "Thank you for coming."

She smiled in response. "I'll see you Monday at work," she said.

He nodded in response. Then, with one last goodbye, he left.

--

She arrived at work early the next day. She found a message on her desk for Ned. Not expecting him to be here early, she had gone into his office to lay it on his desk. But she was surprised to find him sitting there behind his desk.

He didn't notice her right away. He was looking at something.

The picture of his wife.

He was gazing at it, and she knew immediately that he was hurting all over again. The night before had to have brought up other memories for him.

"You must really miss her," she finally said softly.

He turned to look at her. Then he nodded. "I do," he said. He shook his head. "But I think I'm just realizing she's not coming back."

Anna gave him a small smile. "Don't give up on her," she said softly. "Not yet. I'm sure she hasn't given up, either."

Ned just smiled at her. Then he said, "Is that for me?"

Anna nodded and handed it to him. He thanked her and she turned to leave.

When she got back to her desk, she found another envelope on her desk.

"Anna Larson," she read. "I wonder who that's from." She opened the envelope and read it.

_Ms. Larson—_

_I see you've been looking into my scheme. How nice of you to be so interested. But I must say you're awfully nosy, and I don't like nosy people. Here's a bit of advice, my detective friend._

_Drop the case—or lose your life._

--

"You don't know who set it there?"

"No, sir."

"It was just sitting on your desk when you arrived at work?"

"After I dropped a letter off with Ned Nickerson, I found it on my desk," Anna told Mr. Mann.

Her boss shook his head. "I don't want to put your life in danger," he said. "Maybe I should find someone else for the job."

"No," Anna said immediately. "I've been in situations like these before. I'll be fine."

Her boss was quiet a moment. Finally, he said, "Alright. Only if you're careful. I'm serious about calling someone else in."

"I'll be careful. Trust me," she said.

There was a knock on the door suddenly. She opened the door, allowing the person in, before she left to room, more determined than ever to solve this case.

--

They were not busy that day, and Anna was able to do a lot of research on suspects and their backgrounds. She managed to eliminate two more suspects and come up with an even better motive for one suspect in particular.

Thomas Straus.

He had spoken to her many times during the time she had worked at the insurance office. He seemed very interested in her work, and already knew that she was a detective. Now she needed to be very careful around him and pray that he didn't reveal anything that he might know.

But he was the only person that she knew of that knew she was undercover. Besides her boss, that is. And that meant that he could have been the one that left the letter on her desk earlier that day.

Anna sighed. There were still too many suspects, and she was running out of time. The blackmailer would continue until Mr. Mann went broke, that she knew for sure. She needed to work fast, but wasn't sure what to do next. But there was one thing.

Maybe if she could get closer to the suspects…maybe she could trick them into revealing something. And maybe they could give her the break in the case that she needed.

--

She spoke to Thomas Straus first. He was her main suspect, after all, and he _did_ seem to be interested in her. But instead of her finding him, _he_ found _her._

It was late, and she was staying after again, trying to get some things done. Thomas came up to her just as he was leaving.

"Aren't you going home soon?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "I've still got a lot to do," she said.

"Detective work, right?" he asked.

"Thomas…" she said.

"It's not my fault you can't keep your cover," he said. She opened her mouth to protest when he said, "Okay. So you say you're not a detective. Whatever. But I'll still believe what I want. And what I believe is that you're lying."

"May I ask why you're so interested in the first place?" she asked. She was keeping her voice lower than normal, scared someone would over hear them talking.

"I'm a busybody, what can I say," he replied. "So what's it like, anyway? Lying to people all the time, snooping around…"

Anna stood up. "Please, leave me alone," she said.

He didn't leave right away. Suddenly, Anna heard a voice say, "I believe she said to leave her alone."

Both Anna and Thomas turned their attention to the person behind her.

It was Ned.

"I don't believe this is your business, Nickerson," Thomas said.

"It is if you're harassing other employees, Straus," Ned said, using the same harsh voice as Thomas. "Now leave her alone."

Thomas stood there a moment, hesitating. Finally, he muttered one last thing to her. "You won't always have him to fight your battles." And then he walked off.

Anna turned back to Ned. "Thanks," she said.

"No problem," he said. "He's not usually like that. It's weird how he's changed since you got here."

"Yeah," she said softly.

They were quiet a moment. Finally, Ned asked, softly, "Is it true?"

She remained quiet for a long moment. Finally, she said just as softly, "Yes. It's true."

At first, he wasn't sure what to say. Finally, he said, "I won't tell anyone. I promise."

She smiled at him. "Thanks," she said.

He smiled back, and then disappeared into his office again. She left her desk to do some snooping.

The first thing that she did was go to her main suspect's cubicles to check for evidence. This included going through old files, their desk drawers, their computer files and even their computer documents. Maybe the blackmailer wasn't as smart as they thought he was, and maybe he would leave crucial evidence behind.

But as time went on, she began to lost her luck—and her hope. She found absolutely nothing. Finally, she headed back for her desk. But when she did, she suddenly found something lying on the floor.

An envelope. She picked it up.

It was addressed to Mr. Mann. But she immediately knew what it was. Another blackmail letter.

She glanced at the closest desk and went over to it to search it once more.

She searched the drawers, the desktop, the computer documents, their computer files, and everything she had checked earlier. But then she had an idea. She opened the email history and quickly scanned the addresses sent and received.

At first, she found none that seemed suspicious. The emails received were from suspects that she had already eliminated, or from Mr. Mann. But then she came to a familiar email.

Thomas Straus.

She opened the email and read it.

Samantha,

I left the letter on his desk. I'm sure that he got it. But he hasn't turned in the money yet. Should we raise the price?

Thomas

Anna opened another email. This time, it was one that was sent back to Thomas.

Thomas,

Raise the price. You know that he got the letter, so he's obviously slipped up again. We've got to get at him somehow. Double the money and tell him it's his last chance.

Samantha

"Samantha Thomson and Thomas Straus," Anna said. "They've got to be the blackmailers. They just have to be."

Suddenly, she heard someone behind her. But before she could move, before she could even turn around, they grabbed her, clasping their hand tightly over her mouth. She heard a familiar voice whisper in her ear.

"Well, Ms. Larson. I believe there's a little problem here." Thomas tightened his grip on her hands. "You know that I don't like snoopers. And yet…here you are snooping. Now what should I do?"

Anna was looking around, looking for a place to go. If she could just break free…

She struggled, hard. She did not get loose, but he let his hand up long enough for her to scream. Thomas immediately threw her to the ground. She heard running footsteps. She quickly got back to her feet. But Thomas grabbed her again.

He had yanked a handkerchief out of his pocket when he had thrown her to the ground. Now he held it over her nose and mouth tightly.

A moment later, she lost consciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

The police were notified immediately. There were four people who heard Anna scream, and two that actually saw Thomas run her out the door. The two witnesses had tried to stop him—which included Ned—had tried to stop him, but no matter how fast they ran, no matter how hard they tried, there was no way to catch up with him. They had watched helplessly as Thomas threw her in the back of a car before getting into the passenger side.

The fact that he had gotten in on the right side of the car meant that there was someone waiting for the kidnapping to occur. There had to have been a get away driver. But who was it? The only person they knew for sure that was in on the scheme was Thomas. No one knew his partner.

Ned was being questioned now by the police. Mr. Mann was standing nearby, an obvious nervous wreck. He paced the floor as Ned talked.

"So the suspect is described as tall, possibly six foot tall; short blonde hair; blue eyes; muscular. Anything else?"

Ned shook his head.

The policeman closed his notebook. "We'll send out a search team right away," he said.

Ned nodded. "You'll tell us if you find something?" he asked.

The policeman nodded.

Mr. Mann and Ned thanked the officer, and then he left.

Once the officer had left, Mr. Mann sighed heavily. "I'll be in my office," he said. "You can leave if you want."

"Alright," Ned said. He waited until his boss had left the room. Then, he took a seat at Anna's desk.

He knew that it was wrong, but it was instinct to him. After helping his wife for so long on cases, his detective instincts kicked in easily. He searched her desk, hoping to find something that might tell where Thomas was taking her. Something that she had found and kept. But he found nothing.

There was a notebook sitting on the desk along with a file. He picked the notebook up and glanced through it. All of her case notes were there. He wondered if he should turn them in to the police, or if it would be a waste of time. He scanned the notes.

There was a list of suspects, their motives, the clues that she had found, and different notes that she had written to sort everything out.

The folder contained the blackmail letters that Mr. Mann had received, along with the threatening letter that Anna had received. Immediately glancing at the two, Ned knew that they could not be from the same person. The font size and type was different on the threatening note than the blackmail letters. That was further proof that there was a second person involved. But that still didn't help them bring Anna back.

He decided to take the notebook and folder with him. He would drop it off on his way home.

Ned picked up his belongings and finally left.

--

They received a ransom the next day. Or rather, _Ned_ did. It was sitting on his desk in an envelope when he arrived at work. Thomas must have come back after Ned and Mr. Mann left.

At first, Ned had been hesitant to read it. He wasn't exactly sure why. Maybe because it had been so long since he had had to deal with these types of things. But he finally opened it, knowing that it might bring them one step closer to finding Anna. He read the letter aloud.

'Mr. Nickerson—

I'm sure you've realized by now that your beloved secretary is now missing. Does it bring back any memories for you? If not, here's something that might. As you may have noticed, there's a bracelet attached with this letter.'

Ned looked at the bracelet, which had been taped to the paper. Immediately, he recognized it, and his breath caught.

It was Nancy's.

He had given it to her many years before—the day that he told her he loved her.

He closed his eyes. Anna had been wearing that bracelet… every day. Nancy had worn that bracelet…every day. He had never made the connection until now. Ned sank into the chair, his hands shaking.

Anna was Nancy. He had been with her the entire time, and he hadn't even realized it until now. And now she was gone again.

Ned continued reading.

'Think of this as a motivation. You've got forty eight hours before we kill her. So work fast, or the next time you see your lovely wife will be when you find her dead body.'

--

Mr. Mann called the police as soon as he was informed of the ransom note. Both Ned and Mr. Mann were told to come to the police station to talk to the police once again.

" This was left on your desk when you arrived at work?" a detective asked Ned.

Ned nodded.

"And the bracelet was attached to the note?"

"Yes," Ned replied.

"You're certain that the bracelet belonged to your wife?"

"Positive."

The detective wrote down a few quick notes. "We'll need to take the note for evidence," he said.

Ned nodded. "Alright," he said.

"We've got detectives searching the general area. There's also a broadcast televising both Mr. Straus and the description of the car. Hopefully someone saw something and will call in. We've got someone sorting through all tips that have come in so far, but there isn't much to go off of at this point."

Ned sighed. "Thank you, sir," he said.

The detective nodded. "We're doing all we can," he said, noticing Ned's expression. He looked even worse than Mr. Mann had when Nancy had first been kidnapped—and he had looked pretty upset.

Ned managed a tight smile. "Thanks," he said again.

The detective stood up. "We'll notify you as soon as we come up with anything," he said. "But for now, just try to remain calm. One of the worst things that you could do is lose it completely."

Ned nodded. Then, with a quick goodbye, he and Mr. Mann left the room.

--

Ned barely slept that night. It wasn't until about four the next morning that he finally dozed off. As he slept, he had a dream. A dream that he hadn't had in a long time.

--

_He was standing on the bridge, looking past the broken guardrail, past the crumbled car, and into the raging river below. He was looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found. _

_Someone was standing behind him, their hand resting gently on his shoulder. His father. _

"_It's been over a month. She'll be dead by now, even if they do find her."_

"_She's out there somewhere," Ned said softly. "She's got to be." He shook his head. "I'm not giving up. Until they find her body, I'm not giving up."_

_Suddenly, she was there, so close to him. He turned toward her and as she ran toward him he reached out…further…and then…_

…_she was gone._


	6. Chapter 6

_**30 hours**_

Their first real lead came at four the next morning, by a woman who had gotten up extra early for work. It was from an anonymous caller who had not wanted to be identified, but their tip was approved.

It was reported that a blonde haired man was seen with a dark haired woman in a town about ten miles away. They followed it up.

They were already at the thirty hour mark, and they knew that they needed to work fast. No one knew for sure if the kidnappers would actually kill her, but there was no need to take chances.

As detectives left to investigate the town, Ned reluctantly went back home. His boss had given him the day off, so he would be able to do anything he wanted while he waited. Unfortunately, that gave him nothing to distract him as he waited for any news at all on his missing wife.

A detective remained on duty, waiting and taking any tips that came in. Another detective sorted through them, throwing out everything that was a dead end.

At seven o'clock, Ned received a telephone call from the detective agency. It was from Nancy's boss, Mr. Miller.

The lead had been dead, just as the others. Either they had moved her already, or it was simply a bad lead. The only thing it resulted in was losing time off of their forty-eight hour deadline.

They had fifteen hours. That seemed like a lot of time, but it just wasn't. Not when they could be anywhere in the world right now.

The detectives did have places that Thomas and his partner were likely to have taken her. They could be at Thomas's or his partner's house. There was also a club that Thomas went to often. But there was something different about the club.

Thomas was familiar with the bartender at the club. The bartender could be one of the kidnappers, or he could just be an assistant. Either way, it was a start. The detectives also knew that there was a small room back behind the counter where she could very well be hidden. The bartender would not allow them back there, raising their suspicion. Now, they were trying to quickly get a search warrant.

Once Ned hung up the telephone, he sighed and sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He could only pray that they found her soon.

_**40 hours**_

As more leads came in, more time went by. Wasted time. But they never did give up. They continued to work, with no one even going home from the detective agency for those two days unless they absolutely had to.

They finally got a search warrant, and were able to search the room behind the bar. And finally, finally, they found evidence.

The room was small, but it could definitely be a place to hide a kidnapped person.

They found evidence of someone staying there. A pillow and blanket was lying on the floor, looking as if someone had hastily thrown them off of themselves before leaving. The bartender, who looked shocked and terrified, was immediately taken into custody.

The search continued.

_**47 hours**_

Nancy woke up somewhere cold and dark. When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing; she was blindfolded. But there was no sun in her eyes, meaning either there was no window or it was dark outside; she heard nothing at all except for the occasional drip of water from an unknown place. Basically, she had no idea where she was.

She closed her eyes again, trying to remember what, exactly, had happened.

She remembered being at the computer, reading an email…she had felt someone grab her…someone strong…but who was it? She couldn't remember. She still felt groggy from the chloroform.

She had been drugged more than once now—several times, actually. Every time she gained consciousness at their first location, she would be drugged and put under once again. Finally, she had woken up here in another new location.

Nancy tried to move, but couldn't. Like always, she was tied up and unable to move. She was trapped.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps. They stopped right outside the door and faded slightly as the people walked into a room next to the one that she was in. She strained to hear what they were saying.

"They've got one hour," she heard an unknown woman's voice say.

"One hour and we can do what we want with her," another voice said. She recognized the voice as Thomas's.

"Do you think they're getting close?" the woman asked.

Suddenly, a cell phone went off. She heard Thomas groan before answering it.

"What?" He was quiet a moment. "All right. We're coming." He hung up. "We've got to move," he said.

"What? Why?"

"The police searched the bar. They found evidence. We've got to either ditch her or kill her now and leave town."

"We made a deal," the woman said. "We can't kill her."

"And since when do we follow deals, my dear?" Thomas asked. He sighed. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

_**50 hours**_

Their time was up, and they all knew it. But even so, the detectives continued to work, determined to find her.

Ned looked even worse than before. It was almost as if he were reliving what happened two years ago, the first time he thought he had lost his wife for good. Everything felt the same, and it almost went the same, too. The telephone call topped it off.

He received a call late that night from the detective agency. Both of his parents had been there with him when he received it, and they waited anxiously for any news at all. When the telephone finally rang, Ned jumped for it and answered it before it could finish ringing the first time.

"Hello?" he said. He was quiet for a long moment. "Where?" He was quiet again. "All right. I'll be right there." He hung up and turned to his parents. "That was the detective agency," he said. "They—they found a body."


	7. Chapter 7

The body was not identified as Nancy's. They were able to identify it as Samantha Thomson, who turned out to be one of the kidnappers.

The new development in the case puzzled investigators. Why would someone kill their assistant? It didn't make sense.

The police updated the warrant, now making it not only a search for a kidnapper, but also a murderer. A few new calls came in, but not many.

There were two ways to look at the new development. Nancy could either still be alive, or she could very well be dead and waiting to be found. Unfortunately, as more and more time went on, investigators were leaning toward the second option. But they didn't give up.

Ned continued to go to work, although his boss had given him time off. But Ned knew that he needed something to distract him while he waited for news about his wife. His boss must have known it, too, because he didn't push him on anything.

The detectives worked around the clock, following up the few leads that they had left. After another twenty-four hours passed by, they began to give up all hope.

"You can't just give up on her," Ned said.

"She's sure to be dead by now, Mr. Nickerson. There's no chance of finding her alive," Mr. Miller said.

Ned shook his head. "You told me that two years ago, when _your_ detective agency was hired to try to find her," Ned said. "You told me that after you found her, very much alive. And to cover it up, you told her that _I _was the one who died. Since you obviously lied to us then, I know better now. I want her found—dead or alive. I can't go through with not knowing, just like I have the past two years."

Mr. Miller opened his mouth to say something when suddenly, the telephone rang. He sighed before picking up the telephone. "Eye Spy Detective Agency."

It was another detective. He reported that they had found evidence of someone staying at a small house near the place that their last lead was. But it wasn't evidence of just a regular resident. It was evidence that someone was being kept their, most likely against their will. Rope and cloth had been left behind, along with, once again, a pillow and blanket. The rope, they assumed, was most likely to bind someone, and the cloth was to gag them. If this was so, that most likely meant that Nancy was still alive.

Thomas was getting sloppier as more and more time went on. They almost wondered if he _wanted_ to be caught. But then they discarded the thought. Not very many criminals actually want to get caught, especially if they go to jail for murder, or possibly even worse. But the strangest thing that he did came about a week after Nancy had been missing.

The detectives had been working late and Ned was there, as usual, waiting for updates. They were about ready to go home. But when the telephone rang, they were all prepared to trace the call. Mr. Miller answered the call, and the voice on the other end was mechanical. But they knew immediately who it was.

"Hello, sir. Working late, I see."

"We've been waiting for a call from you," Mr. Miller replied.

"I've been a bit busy," the voice replied. "As you can most likely tell from the body you've succeeded in finding. Expecting someone else, most likely."

"Yes, that was surprising. I suppose she got in your way somehow?"

"Let's just say we had a…disagreement," Thomas replied. "But anyway. That's not why I was calling. Before my assistant and I had our little argument, she said something to me and for some reason, I listened to her. So if I may, I would like to speak to Mr. Nickerson. And I know he's there," he added. "He's been there every other day."

Mr. Miller hesitated a moment, then handed the telephone to Ned.

"Where is she?" Ned asked immediately.

But instead of hearing the mechanical voice, he heard another voice. A familiar voice.

"Ned." The voice was soft, shaky, and scared but he recognized it immediately.

"Nancy," he said, barely softer than her own voice. "You're alive?"

"I am," she said. She took a breath, and he knew that she was crying. "Help me…please."

"It's all right," Ned said. "We'll get you out of there. Hang in there."

Ned heard one last thing before the line went dead. "I love you, Ned."

--

The call was traced, and within hours, Thomas was taken into custody. The first question he was asked was where Nancy was being kept. But he wouldn't answer. But as he was being taken off to a cell, he smirked at Ned, looking him straight in the eyes, before saying, "She'll be dead by the time you find her."

When Ned arrived home, he collapsed immediately in the closest chair. The talk that he had earlier with Nancy was still fresh in his mind, and just knowing that she was out there somewhere brought relief to him and others. But hearing her cry and remembering Thomas's last words to him made him wonder if she really was still alive, or if only hours ago, he had talked to his wife for the last time. There was no way to tell until they found her. But finally, one evening, Ned received the call that he had been waiting for a long time to receive.

The first call came from the detective agency at nearly midnight. They were following up one last lead. At one o'clock, Ned received another call.

His parents had been with him the second time. They had stayed the night to make watch over Ned, just as they did every once in a while, and were woken up by the first call. They didn't go back to sleep. When the telephone rang the second time, Ned had jumped for the telephone, answering it quickly. His parents waited for a report.

Ned talked and listened for a long time before he finally hung up. Finally, he turned toward his parents. He managed to say, "She's alive" before all at once the stress, the worry, everything that had happened in the past two years and the past three weeks, all of it caught up to him, and for the first time in two years, he finally broke down and cried.


	8. Chapter 8

When Ned arrived at the hospital, chaos seemed to occur. The building was surrounded by media—everyone who had been informed of the kidnapping earlier. The fact that the kidnapped person happened to be someone who was apparently missing and presumed dead two years ago made the story even more interesting, and the reporters were certainly out for blood. But at that moment, Ned only had one thing on his mind, and that was to see his wife. Ignoring the noise and reporters, Ned pushed his way inside.

The first place that Ned went was the front desk. The woman immediately noted Ned's anxiousness and impatience, and quickly told him the correct room number. Ned managed to thank her before he forced himself to walk, not run, up the stairway and to her room.

Her door was closed, and Ned hesitated for a moment. Finally, he knocked lightly on the door. There was no answer. Ned opened the door slowly, not knowing what to expect.

The first thing Ned saw was Nancy lying completely motionless in the hospital bed. With her bruised and scarred body and her head turned limply to the side, she seemed like a completely different person. But to Ned, she still seemed like the most beautiful woman in the world.

Ned walked over to her bed. She didn't respond when he took her hand, nor did she respond when he kissed her gently. But he wasn't going to give up on her. Not this time. He gently pushed her hair off of her forehead and softly spoke to her.

"I'm not sure if you can hear me, but I want you to know that I'm here for you. I'm here _with _you. For the first time in two years, we're actually together again. If you hang in there, I know you can pull through this. Then maybe, just maybe, we can have the life we had once before."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Ned turned and saw a nurse standing in the doorway. "Are you staying overnight?" she asked.

"If I can," Ned said.

She nodded. "That's fine," she said. With a small smile, the nurse left just as quickly as she had appeared.

Ned took a seat and sighed, now preparing himself for the long night ahead of him.

--

When Nancy came to late that night, she seemed to just barely be there. Ned, who hadn't been able to sleep due to worry, talked to her and soothed her as she murmured several things he wasn't able to understand.

"You're all right," he said. "Just relax."

She had calmed a bit then, and Ned watched her for a moment to make sure she was really all right. When she fell silent and lay still in the bed, he kissed her hand gently before sitting back in his chair once again.

Nancy woke up several times that night until finally, near midnight, she managed to stay asleep for quite a while. Several times either his parents or one of their friends would come in trying to give him a chance to sleep. Finally, he gave in, knowing that losing sleep wouldn't help either him or Nancy. He left the hospital around one and arrived home half hour later, just to collapse in bed, exhausted from stress and worry.

Ned didn't expect to fall asleep easily, but the tiredness kicked in almost instantly and he found himself slipping into a deep sleep.

--

The next day the detective agency called. They reported that Thomas had finally confessed everything. But now, there was something new involved. Something never considered before. The first surprise came when he confessed that his real name was not Thomas Straus, but Brad Swatson.

It had started years and years ago. Nancy was still in high school at the time, and had just broken up with her boyfriend. It had been her decision, and she had walked away leaving him hurt. Because of his hurt, he had wanted revenge. The chance didn't come until years later, when he saw her with her husband at a party. She had seemed so happy. Maybe a little too happy for him. So he had taken a chance. He found her car and, with a little tampering, had managed to guarantee that the breaks would give out.

It had all seemed perfect. Because of the weather, no one would suspect a thing except for reckless driving when the two of them were unable to stop. They would blame the road. When Thomas heard on the news that one passenger was taken to the hospital in critical condition and another had been thrown from the car, he had finally been satisfied with the occurrence. That is, until Nancy showed up, two years almost to the day later, at the insurance office. It was then that he knew he needed to get rid of her. They knew what happened from there.

"So it was revenge that he wanted all along," Ned said.

The detective nodded. "And it almost worked," he said. "Thank God we were able to get to her first."

Ned nodded, then looked the detective straight in the eyes. "You still know what you did was wrong," he said. "Hiding her from me."

"I know," the detective sighed. He shook his head. "We'll talk about it later, maybe."

Suddenly, Ned's cell phone rang. He answered it without thinking about how rude it may be. "Hello."

"Ned." He recognized his father's voice.

"Yes?"

"Are you busy?"

"No. Why? What's happened?"

"Nancy woke up. She needs you here with her."

_Needs. _Not _wants. Needs._

"Tell her I'm coming," he said. "I'll be there soon."


	9. Chapter 9

Ned arrived at the hospital in record time.

When he knocked on her door, he heard his father's voice answer. When Ned walked in, the first thing that he asked was, "How is she?"

Ned took a seat next to Nancy. He very gently took her hand. "Has she been conscious at all?"

Mr. Nickerson shook his head. "She's been in and out of consciousness. But even when she _is_ conscious, she's never _stayed_ conscious long enough to talk."

Ned said nothing, but instead responded by gently kissing her hand. He felt a heavy hand on his should, and closed his eyes, reliving the moments from years ago, and remembered what his father had told him years ago.

"_Worrying will do nothing for her. There is nothing you can do to change what happened. Now, you can only pray for a miracle. And if God thinks it's time to call her Home to Him, we must remember the good times we had with her, not the tragedy that we face now."_

"I feel like I should do something—anything—to help her," Ned said. "But I just don't know what there is to do for her."

"Love her," Mr. Nickerson replied. "Be there for her, care for her, and pray to God for a miracle. That's the best thing you can do for her now."

Ned was gazing at her lovingly. "I will," he said softly. "I always will."

--

She woke up around one that morning. Like the past few nights, she was saying something very softly in her sleep. He wasn't exactly sure what she was saying at first. But then he understood what she was saying, and what she had been saying the past several nights. She was having a nightmare of the kidnapping.

He didn't hear much, but it was enough for him to get a good idea as to what happened within the time that she was gone—and enough to bring up a new anger in him. All that she has been through…all of it just for revenge…she just didn't deserve any of it.

Ned held her hand tightly as he spoke to her gently, waking her from her dream. She didn't open her eyes, but instead fell silent for a long moment. Then, she said drowsily, "Ned."

"I'm right here," he said. "I'm right here with you."

Her hand tightened, then, a little on his own and he kissed her gently. "Can you talk to me?"

"What happened?" she asked.

Ned knew that telling her the truth could cause unwanted problems, mostly emotional problems. But lying to her would be worse later on, when she found out the truth.

When he took too long to answer, she spoke up again, and he knew from her voice that he was losing her again. "I love you, Ned."

Ned kissed her gently and rested his hand on her cheek. "I love you, too," he replied. "So very much."

And then she was gone, lost in a deep sleep, and Ned kissed her one last time before sitting back in his chair.

He didn't fall asleep easily, but eventually, a wave of drowsiness overcame him and he found himself dosing off.

His last thought, his last wish, was that his wife could once again be happy.

--

She woke up several more times that evening. It wasn't until the second or third time that they were able to really talk again. It was late, but the doctors had wanted to keep her awake as long as they possibly could for testing reasons. He kept her awake for a long time, talking about things that most would think was pointless. But it was far from that.

"I've missed you so much," she said softly.

"I've missed you, too," he replied. "These past two years…they've been horrible. Waking up without you, waiting every day for a call that would never come, saying you were alive."

"Why would anyone lie like that?" she said softly.

Ned shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "It was wrong, and I don't know what would ever make them do that."

A doctor knocked on the door suddenly. They needed to do one more test. Ned gave her one more kiss before moving aside.

--

Over the next few days, Nancy's health began to improve. She was becoming more aware of surroundings and wasn't completely out of it anymore. Finally, after several days in the hospital, she was released. Then, for the first time in over two years, Nancy went home—to her _real_ home.

Everything looked unchanged for the most part. The furniture had been moved around, and after living in an apartment for so long it seemed big to her. But other than that, it was the same.

"It's just like I remember it," she said.

Ned kissed her gently. "How do you feel?" he asked.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I feel great," she said, and Ned held her in his arms a moment longer.

"I never thought this day would come," Nancy said softly. "The day where we could be together again."

"I know," Ned said. He was still holding her in his arms gently, and she closed her eyes, breathing in his familiar scent, enjoying the feeling of being in the arms of her husband once more.

"My parents should be bringing Katherine over soon," Ned said suddenly.

"I need to thank them for watching her," Nancy said.

"It was no problem," Ned replied. "She _is_ their granddaughter, after all."

Nancy smiled in response. Suddenly, she noticed a small pile of papers on the table. They were newspaper articles.

"What are those from?" she asked.

Ned followed her gaze. "They're from the accident," he said softly.

Nancy read the headlines. Some were misleading, but most of them true. 'Two Killed In Fatal Bridge Accident'. 'One Missing, One Injured After Accident'. 'Accident Keeps Investigators Puzzled'.

"I kept them because it was the closest thing that I had to you," Ned said. "The police supposedly couldn't find anything leading to you, and I really thought I would never see you again."

Nancy nodded. "I thought the same thing," she said softly. Nancy sighed. "It was all a total mess," she said. "And the lies didn't help any. I could tell you what I remember." She took a breath. "After the car hit the guardrail, I was thrown from the car—just as everyone already figured out. I was thrown into the river. I wasn't conscious, so I was unable to get out of the water. Someone found me quite a ways from the accident and pulled me out. I was taken to a hospital in a different town due to my condition, which is why it was so hard for you to track me earlier."

Nancy paused. "When I was first taken to the hospital, and when I finally gained consciousness, they told me that I was pregnant with Katherine. At the same time, I was told that no one else had been found. Ever since then, she's been the closest thing to you that I've had."

"At least we're together now," Ned said, and they kissed gently.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Nancy went to answer it. A moment later, Nancy returned with Katherine in her arms. Ned's parents followed.

Ned had never seen his daughter until that moment. Not even when his parents had been watching her. But the moment he saw her, his breath caught. Nancy was smiling at him.

"Ned, this is your daughter, Katherine." Ned took Katherine in his arms.

"She's been waiting to meet you," Nancy said.

"Hey, sweetheart," Ned said softly. Katherine smiled and Ned's heart melted, just knowing that she was his, and that once again, for the first time in over two years, he could be a husband again and now, even a father to a beautiful baby girl. They could be the family that they were never able to be before and maybe they could have the life that they had once before.


End file.
